Magneto coupling



June 17, 1930. G. M. CUSICK MAGNETO COUPLING Filed April 1928 2 Sheets-Shet 1 June 17, 1930.

G; M. CUSICK MAGNETO COUPLING Filed April 4, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \nonTbr Gc qrse H. Cusick Patented June 17, 1930.

' Q memos enonenm. GUSICK, or ennnn RAP DS, ivironrenn- MAGnEro coornrne Application filed April 4, 1928. serial No, 267,362. i

This invention relates to a magneto coupling, and is particularly concerned with a More specifically magnetos used 'to gener ate electric current for the ignition systems of. internal combustion engines are in many respects ineffective in starting the engine either on manually cranking it or using a self starting mechanism, due to the fact that when the magneto armature is directly connected to its-drivingshaft it rotates at low speed and' the spark produced is correspondingly"w'eak. But with my invention it is designed that while the driving'sha'ft for 2 the magneto may be operated at the comparatively low speed at which it is turned either on'cranking or by a self starter appa-- ratus, use of the coupling of my invention causes the magneto armature tobe checked and held against rotatingduring apart of thecontinuousrotation of the driving shaft therefor and then released and driven at a much higher speed of rotation than the driving shaft, such speed of rotation ofthe armature taking place atthe proper times that the excess electromotive force developed may be used for the ignition spark of the ignition system of the enginewith the-result that amuch larger and hotter spark is produced by the m sparkplu'gs in the cylinders'ofthe engine.

Mylinvention comprises many novel detailsofconstruction and arrangement of parts for very simply and effectively attaining the ends" stated and for the productionof a Conpling which may be easily interposed between the magneto armature ofthe shaftdriving' the same. Anunderstanding of the 1nven= tion may be had from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

' Fig. 1 is a side elevationjshowing the coupling of my invention interposed between a magneto and a drivingshaft. r Fig. 2 is 'a vertical longitudinal secti through said coupling.

. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section suh-, stantially'on the plane of line 33 of Fig: '2'.

Fig. dis asection similar to that shown in Fig.3 illustrating the coupling ina'nother.

and different angular position of rotation. 4

Figs5 is a section similar to thoseshown in Figs. 3' and 4:, the plane of the section however, being taken slightly to'oneside of the plane of the sections shown "in-Figs. 3 and 4, showing the operation of the coupling in the case of a backfire 'anda reversal of direction ofturning. a i Figs-6 and 7 are perspective'views illustrating different elements ofthe coupling construction. 1 Fig.8 is a partial lo ngitudinal vertical; section andside elevationsomewhat'similar to the section'lshown in Fig. 2,] but with the' inner-members of the coupling shown inside elevation,and

Fig. 9 is a itransv'ers endwelevationof the cou of line 9-9 Of Fig. '8.

Like Q reference chara'cte parts in the different figures. of the. drawings'i The magneto maybe of any conventional construction having anouter housing or cas ingl within which thearmature (not shown) is mounted for rotation on .a shaft 2; the shaft extending beyond one end of the casing. of my invention is mounted. In the construction of the coupling a bush-i ing 3 of metal is permanently keyed at the end of the shaft 2 and adjacent the endnearest the magneto'has an outwardly extendingflannular rib or flanged between which and the opposite end of the bushing 3'is' a continuous annular recess 5'. A cylindrical sleeve 6 surrounds the bushing and is connected thereto by means of a coiled torsionspring 7 housed within theannular grooveor recess 5, one

end of the spring having connection to said egertical section and a I U es o g rs edema like;

on the end of the shaft thecoupling 2. The sleeve 6 is located within an outer cylinder 9 from which two spaced apart coupling jaws 10 project away from the magneto. The cylinder 9 is connected to the sleeve 6 by means of screws 11 threading through opposite sides of the cylinder 9, and at their inner ends having pins which may be received in anyone of a plurality of spaced apart openings 12 made around the sleeve. By this means the sleeve 6 is rotatably adj ustable relative to the driving member 9 and they may be fixed in any of a multiplicity of adjusted relations by insertion of the screws 11. This permits the magneto to be accurately timed with the engine.

At what may be termed its outer end the sleevef6 is cut away at diametrically. opposed points to make two elongated recesses 13 in the end of the sleeve. At the other end of .the sleeve it is provided with two diametrically opposd projectionsll one end of each being cut at an angle, as indicated at 15, to provide a cam on each projection 14, the purpose of which will hereafter appear,

A disc 16 is located over theshaft 2 at theinner end of the bushing 3. Two centrifugal wings 17 are located around the inner end of the bushing 3, being partly received in theannular groove made between the disc 16 and the flange 4, and being piv-.

otally connected at one end by means of pivots 18 which extend through said disc and flange thereby attaching the disc 16, to the end of the bushing 3 and pivotally mounting the wings 17 on the flange 4. Each'of the centrifugal wings 17 at the side thereof nearest the magneto carries a lug 19 at its outer edge and substantially midway between its ends. Each of the wings 17 at its opposite side and near its free end is equipped with.

a second lug 20; The lugs 20 lie in the same vertical plane as the flange i of the bushing 3. It is also evident that the projections 1 1 on sleeve 6 extend over said flange 4. The bushing 3 at its end farthest away from the magneto is equipped with two projections 21 which in practice are screwheads which lie in the elongated recess 13 made in the sleeve 6 (see Fig. 8).

The jaws 10 of the cylinder 9 cooperate with similar, jaws 22 and a coupling block 23 between the jaws for connecting the cou-- pling construction described with a device 24 mounted on the driving shaft 25. The construction housed within and associated with the device 2t'is notillustrated or described as it has no bearing or eflect with respect to the present invention, and so far as the present invention is concerned any suit-. able means of making a connection between the cylinder 9 and a drive shaft, such as the shaft 25 may be used.

In the operation of the coupling described," when the engine is running at low speed or when it is being cranked or started with-a lugs 19' on the wings 17 when said wings are in the position shown in Fig. 3, and the lug 19 comesagainst the projection 1 with the result that the bushing 3, shaft 2, wings 17 and the magneto armature are stopped from movement. The cylinder 10 and connected sleeve 6 continues rotating however, and the torsion spring 7 is stressed and wound and stores considerable power.

Continued movement of the sleeve 6 brings the cam end 15 of one of the projections v1 1 to the lug 20 on the upper wing 17, as fully shown in Fig; 4 whereby the projection 14 rides underneath the lug .20, lifting lug- 19 out of engagement with the stopl where upon the power stored in the spring 7'acts immediately to give the shaft 2 and its connected armature an immediate and strong impulse of rotation causing the armature to be rotated rapidly with a consequent devel opment of a much greater electromotive force with a greater current to the ignition system and a more intense spark for firing the explosive charges in the cylinders.

,It is of course to be understood, as has been mentioned before, that the timing 'of the ex plosions of the charges in the cylinders of the engine is such that the spark acts when the greater rotation of the armature of the magneto takes place. Should there be a reverse rotation of the drive shaft 25, due to engine backfire or any other cause, the wings 17 occupy positions such as shown in Fig. 5 and the lugs 19 will pass over the stop 1, because the wings 17 will not occupy their inner position by gravity until such time as a lug 19 has passed by the stop 1 but when rotated in the proper direction, the upper wing 17 drops to its lower or inner position before the lug 19 comes to the stop 1.

Itis evident that the springs 7 may have any desired initialtension at the beginning. The screw heads 21 normally come against one end of the recesses 13, as shown in Fig. 8 and when the spring is being'additionally tension'ed during the operation of the device, the sleeve 6 turns while the screw heads 21 remain stationary therebyeffecti'ng a relative traverse of the recesses 13 by said screw heads. Then the release is efiected by a projection 14: riding under a lug 20 as described, the immediate and rapid rotary impulse given to the armature continues until the screw heads 21 come against the ends of the recesses 13 or reach the position shown in Fig. 8. 7 a a t The construction of coupling described is simple and easy to manufacture and may be readilyvassembled and installed. It is durable and eflicient andhas no parts liable to I get out of order. As soon as the engine speed increases to a point where the rotation of the magneto armature-is sufiicient to produce the t desired current, wings 17 are thrown outward by centrifugal force so that the lugs 19 pass over the stop 1*; It is only at low engine speeds that the device is operative to causethe armature shaft to rotate faster than V the shaft driving it at certain predetermined arcs of its rotation. This of course is a desirable featureiof the inventionas it is only at the low speeds that any increase of the electromotive force generated by the magneto is needed, while during the normal 7 speeds of the engine, automatic ineffectiveness of operation of the device saves it from excess wear and consequent deterioration.

The invention 1s defined 1n the appended claims and is to be consideredcomprehensive of all forms of structure comlng w1th1n their 1 scope. 1

I claim; 7 1. A device of the class described comprising, a bushing adapted to be keyed to a maging having two rows of spaced apart open ings therearound, a coiled spring located within the groove of said bushing having one end attached to said sleeve, a coupling member located around said sleeve, means for connecting the coupling member to the sleeve comprising screws threading into said coupling member and having pins at their inner ends received in selected openings of the other of said rows of opemngs in said sleeve, said sleeve at one end having a plurality of projections, a plurality of centrifugal members pivotally connected to said bushing adjacent said projections, lugs one on each centrifugal member adjacent its free end and at the side thereof nearest said projections and under which said projections maypass on turning movement ofthe sleeve in one direction with respect to sald' bushing,"and other lugs one on each centrifugal member projecting therefrom at the opposite side thereof between the ends of said members and near the outer edges thereof.

2. A device of the class described comprising, a driving member, a sleeve rotatably mounted on said driving member, means for adjustably fastening said sleeve to said driving member, a bushing adapted to be attached to a shaft, yieldable means connected 7 to said sleeve and bushing to yieldably rotate the bushing by the sleeve, a centrifugal member pivoted to said bushing, a stationary i neto armature shaft and having a continu-r ous' annular groove around the same between its ends, a sleeve located around said bushwhereof I aflix my signature.- 

